Attention Part 1

According to Mackintosh (1975), attention to a stimulus increases when:

• It is consistently the best predictor of an outcome.

• It has been presented multiple times without reinforcement.

• It is novel but has no predictive value.

• It is highly salient but irrelevant.

What does latent inhibition refer to?

• Faster learning after repeated exposure to a stimulus.

• Slower learning to a stimulus that has been pre-exposed without consequence.

• The tendency to focus on novel stimuli rather than familiar ones.

• The process of completely ignoring all irrelevant stimuli.

The Rescorla-Wagner model predicts learning based on:

• The number of times a stimulus is presented.

• The discrepancy between expected and actual outcomes (prediction error).

• The intensity of a stimulus alone.

• The novelty of a stimulus.

Why does the Rescorla-Wagner model fail to explain latent inhibition?

• It does not account for how prior experience affects learning rates.

• It suggests that learning should be faster after stimulus pre-exposure.

• It assumes all stimuli are equally learnable.

• Both A and B.

According to Mackintosh’s theory, when a cue is an unreliable predictor, what happens?

• Attention to it increases.

• Attention to it decreases.

• Learning about it accelerates.

• It becomes more salient.

Which of the following is an example of increasing attention in Mackintosh’s model?

• Ignoring a car alarm that frequently goes off for no reason.

• Noticing the smell of smoke because it usually signals fire.

• Failing to notice a new ringtone after repeated exposure.

• Randomly paying attention to irrelevant background noise.

Blocking occurs when:

• A new cue fails to gain associative strength because another cue already predicts the outcome.

• A stimulus is presented without reinforcement, leading to reduced learning.

• A stimulus is ignored due to its weak salience.

• A response is inhibited due to fear conditioning.

Mackintosh’s model is most effective in:

• Uncertain environments where cues are unpredictable.

• Stable environments where cues have strong predictive value.

• Situations where novelty alone determines attention.

• Random learning scenarios.

Which experimental finding supports Mackintosh’s model?

• Learned irrelevance decreases attention to a previously meaningless cue.

• Uncertain cues attract more attention over time.

• Pre-exposure to a stimulus enhances its future learning potential.

• Attention is evenly distributed across all stimuli.

What is the key mechanism in Mackintosh’s model?

• Prediction error.

• Associability of stimuli.

• Random attention shifts.

• Total suppression of irrelevant stimuli.